It gets released when the liver is damaged, and so elevated levels of SGOT in the
blood are a good indicator that the liver has suffered damage from one thing or another.
In addition to the liver, SGOT is also found in the heart, kidneys, skeletal muscles,
and brain.

Normal Levels

The normal range for SGOT in the blood for an adult is 6-34 IU/L for women and 8/40
IU/L for men. Higher levels than this indicate that something is wrong somewhere,
frequently in the liver. However, because SGOT is found in many other organs as well
as the liver, it is not as specific an indicator of liver disease as elevated ALT.
It is more commonly used as a diagnostic refiner to help distinguish between alcoholic
and non-alcoholic liver disease.

Use In Diagnostic Tests

As noted above, a test for elevated SGOT levels in the blood is normally used in
conjunction with other liver enzyme tests rather than on its own. High levels of
AST compared to those of ALT, when both are above normal, is a marker for chronic
alcoholism. If ALT is higher than AST, that's more typically an indicator of non-alcoholic
liver disease of some kind. In the past, SGOT was used as a sign of myocardial infarction,
but other tests have superseded it today.

Blood tests for liver enzymes are necessary
because in the early stages, liver disease typically has no symptoms that the patient
can recognize and report. By the time symptoms do appear, the damage to the liver
can be irreversible and health can be permanently impacted. It's therefore important
to detect liver illnesses before symptoms appear and liver enzyme tests are very
important tools for that purpose.

Liver Disease Risk Factors Indicating Blood Tests

Liver diseases are known to be associated with a number of risk factors. High alcohol
consumption is the biggest single risk factor, although the majority of liver disease
is non-alcoholic in origin. Chronic alcoholism or alcohol abuse always calls for
a blood test for liver enzymes to screen for possible damage to the liver from the
high consumption of alcohol. Other risk factors include obesity, diabetes, the use
of certain medications (most notably anti-cholesterol medications) and a family history
of non-alcoholic liver disease. Liver disease can also result from bacterial or viral
infections, most obviously infectious hepatitis. Continued below....

SGOT

The presence of any of these risk factors calls for a blood test for liver enzymes,
most likely to measure blood levels of SGOT and ALT. If the results of the blood
tests indicate a possible liver disorder, the next step is to examine the liver using
medical imaging technology such as an ultrasound. Further diagnostic procedures include
lifestyle examination, and in some cases the performance of a liver biopsy which
can directly test for liver cancer and infectious conditions.

It's important to recognize
that elevated SGOT can arise without any damage to the liver or loss of liver functioning.
Because the enzyme is also present in the heart, the brain, the kidneys, and the
skeletal muscles, and is an important chemical for the digestion and metabolism of
proteins and amino acids, elevated levels of SGOT can also show a problem with one
of those other organs and systems. In particular, cardiovascular disease and damage
to the heart itself can result in elevated levels of SGOT. This is, of course, also
a matter of serious medical concern, but except for some points in common (e.g. both
benefit from controlling body weight and reducing obesity), heart disease and liver
disease aren't necessarily treated the same way.

Elevated SGOT Due To Anti-Cholesterol Medication

One common cause of elevated SGOT other than liver disease is the use of the statin
family of medications for treating high levels of low-density cholesterol. As high
cholesterol is a serious risk factor for cardiovascular disease, these treatments
can be very important for maintaining health in people suffering from high cholesterol.

Elevated liver enzymes including SGOT are a frequent side effect of the medication
and there has been some concern among physicians that use of statins may cause liver
damage. It has now been found, however, that although elevated liver enzymes is a
common side effect, actual liver damage resulting from statin use is rare. For that
reason, the current practice is to treat high cholesterol aggressively through medication
as well as through diet and exercise, and to monitor the liver for signs of actual
damage but otherwise accept the elevation of liver enzymes as less dangerous by far
than the risk of a heart attack.

Comments

Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, or SGOT, is a liver enzyme. Another name
for it is aspartate transaminase or AST. SGOT is one of the two most important enzymes
among the enormous number of them produced by the liver for purposes of diagnosing
liver diseases (the other being serum glutamic peruvic transaminase (SGPT), which
is also known by the name alanine transaminase (ALT).

It's an important enzyme in the functioning of the liver, playing a crucial role
in the metabolism of amino acids (proteins). It should be present and doing its job
in any healthy liver. However, this enzyme should not be present in the bloodstream
in significant quantities.